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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bear — the animal
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. tube — a container
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. roll — a cake
  11. court — of a king
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. court — for sport
  15. roll — a list
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — of water
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. prune — to trim
  22. court — of law
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com